Monday, 14 February 2011

A Freedom of Information request has shed new light on our Council's determination to carry on pumping out propaganda - and, it would seem, the Fulham Chronicle's possible collaboration in allowing them to do it.

Regular readers will remember that, after a long battle, the Council was forced by the Government to stop spending our tax pounds on producing H&F News, which was dressed up as a newspaper but was actually, according to Secretary of State for Local Government Eric Pickles, "propaganda on the rates".

During the battle with the Chronicle, however, the Council pointed out that running their propaganda sheet meant they didn't need to hand over loads of tax payers cash to the Chronicle for expensive advertising space. Rubbish, said the Chronicle, we're really very good value you know.

Well now it seems the Council is exploring a cosy little arrangement with the self-same Chronicle. In return for placing their ads in the pages of the Chronicle, the Council looks set to get free editorial space in that paper to put out their propaganda to us all.

Here's what the Council have admitted courtesy of a Freedom of Information request from Andy Slaughter MP:

"..the Council is currently market testing for an advertising contract with a newspaper provider. As part of the contractual requirements, the Council is requesting free, clearly sign-posted, editorial space to help us engage and involve residents in community issues". Sources have told me that Trinity Mirror, owners of the paper, are part of that process.

So in other words an independent newspaper, which rightly took a principled stand against publicly funded propaganda may be carrying the very propaganda they said the Council shouldn't be producing. All of which means the Council carries on spending our money on propagandising, but this time it features in the Fulham Chronicle instead of H&F News.

A sad end to the story, really, even if it's a good thing that H&F News is set to go. The Chronicle has some good reporters on it and I suspect they are quite non-plussed about this, so don't direct your fire against them - its the owners Trinity Mirror who should be ashamed if it's true.

The newspaper has a column called "Voice of the Chronicle" for those of you who still receive it. Well here's the Voice of the Shepherd's Bush Blog: Trinity Mirror need to weigh up the money they'll receive from the Council's advertising against the knock to the newspaper's credibility if it starts becoming a vehicle for the sort of one sided propaganda that charecterises H&F News. And they need to do that very very carefully indeed.

1600 UPDATE Labour Opposition Leader Cllr Stephen Cowan has responded to this news by sounding the alarm. Here's what he has to say:

"I understand the financial pressures the local press are under but strongly believe that it is vital for civic society that the local press remains independent and free. If the Chronicle/Council deals turns out to be true then it is a concern. Indeed, if there is any indication that the Chronicle is taking a propagandist view of H&F Council then Labour will rip this contract up at the first opportunity when we win back control of the Council which we hope to do at the next local elections in three years time"

3 comments:

That'd be the same Trinity Mirror that *prints* Greenwich Time, H&F News's Labour soulmate.

I was thinking about this the other week, actually - Charlton Athletic get a page of their own in one of our local freesheets, the Mercury. The lack of media scrutiny of CAFC has arguably helped contribute to the company's fall from grace over the years.

So it seemed like just the kind of arrangement that a council seeking to avoid scrutiny would go for...

They've always done this you know- printed your fascinating article about your business in return for you taking out advertising in the same edition.

It was a lovely thought, the local paper being more principled than the nasty nationals. But reality appears to be they have to get money where they can and principles go out of the window when they're fighting to survive.

I shall simply select those pages to wipe the dog's backside with as I currently do with the H&F paper.